U.N. raises $7 bln for Syria from donors

The United Nations won almost $7 bln in aid pledges for Syria on Thursday, overcoming fatigue among donors after eight years of civil war and sidestepping divisions over how to deal with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

The emergency aid pledges came at a conference at which Western donors have had to wrestle with the question of whether to begin providing longer-term reconstruction assistance, now that Assad has all but won the war.

The United Nations is seeking $3.3 billion for aid to people inside Syria and $5.5 billion for refugees...